Green-fingered residents in Ivybridge are hoping for gardening glory at Britain in Bloom 2020.

Resident Shirley Weeks, 56, hopes the town can come together and follow in the footsteps of Kingsbridge - which was awarded Best Small Town in Britain in last year’s competition.

Criteria for entry includes community involvement, horticulture and protecting the environment.

Shirley has organised a meeting at Ivybridge Town Hall which takes place at 7pm on Monday, September 9.

She hopes to discuss forming community gardening groups and assess green areas where wildflowers can be planted.

More than 20 people have shown interest in joining a team of gardeners and she expects the number to rise as news spreads.

Shirley also plans to speak with businesses in the town as their participation is part of the Bloom criteria.

The mum-of-two, who works for Citizens Advice, said: “Britain in Bloom 2020 is the endgame for us - that’s what we want to move towards but the main idea is to get people participating with making Ivybridge a nice place to be.

“There’s a lot of disquiet around people feeling they are not in control of their own community - this is a good way of getting those views across.

“Garden areas will be assessed at the meeting to think about what needs improving.

“A big part of it is sustainability and environmentally friendly so we don’t want colourful potted plants which will die within two weeks - we want to plant wildflowers.

“The main criteria is getting local people involved, for example, local businesses need to be on board.

“It’d be great if they can hang baskets outside shop fronts.

“I haven’t approached any local businesses yet but I plan to and I also want to get schools involved because they have nice gardens.

“I’m preparing leaflets, posters and an Ivybridge in Bloom Facebook page.”